Education

Makes appropriations for the ordinary and contingent expenses of the Illinois Community College Board for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, as follows: General Funds $360,974,400; Other State Funds $121,395,000; Federal Funds $51,000,000; Total $533,369,400.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates the Illinois Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) Tech Scholarship Fund checkoff. Provides that, through the checkoff, taxpayers may contribute to the Illinois Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) Tech Scholarship Fund. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Illinois Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) Tech Scholarship Fund. Provides that moneys in the Fund shall be used by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for the purpose of awarding iGROW Tech scholarships. Effective immediately.

Amends the College Campus Press Act. Defines "public media produced at a State-sponsored institution of higher learning". Provides that all public media produced at a State-sponsored institution of higher learning is a public forum for expression by the employees producing media at the particular institution of higher learning. Provides that public media produced at a State-sponsored institution of higher learning shall not be subject to prior review by public officials of a State-sponsored institution of higher learning. Allows an employee working for or an agent of an entity creating public media produced at a State-sponsored institution of higher learning to commence a civil action to obtain appropriate injunctive and declaratory relief as determined by a court for violation of the Act by such State-sponsored institution of higher learning. Provides that expression made by an employee or agent of an entity producing public media produced at a State-sponsored institution of higher learning is neither expression of campus policy nor speech attributable to a State-sponsored institution of higher learning. Provides that a State-sponsored institution of higher learning shall be immune from any lawsuit arising from expression actually made by the public media produced at a State-sponsored institution of higher learning

House Bill 133 proposes to appropriate $2 from the state's General Revenue Fund. This funding is specifically designated for Governors State University. The appropriation is intended to cover the university's ordinary and contingent expenses for Fiscal Year 2026. If enacted, the bill would become effective on July 1, 2025.

Amends the Interscholastic Athletic Organization Act. Provides that an association or other entity that has as one of its purposes promoting, sponsoring, regulating, or in any manner providing for interscholastic athletics or any form of athletic competition among schools and students within this State shall adopt a policy that allows for a student to participate in interscholastic athletics immediately upon completing a transfer from one school to another school and enrolling in that other school. Provides that the policy may prohibit the student from participating in interscholastic athletics at that other school before the school transfer process is complete and the transfer has been accepted by the principal of the school from which the student is transferring and the principal of the school to which the student is transferring. Effective July 1, 2025.

House Bill 2037 appropriates $2 from the General Revenue Fund to the University of Illinois. This funding is designated for the university's ordinary and contingent expenses for Fiscal Year 2026 and becomes effective on July 1, 2025.

Amends the Chicago School District Article of the School Code. In provisions concerning alternative procedures for teacher evaluation, remediation, and removal for cause after remediation, provides that if after the alternative evaluation procedures are determined by the State Board of Education, in a specified report of the State Board of Education, to have clear racial, ethnic, socio-economic, or geographic disparities for the educators evaluated under the alternative evaluation procedures, then the Chicago Board of Education and the exclusive representative of the district's teachers shall enter into negotiations to create a new evaluation system, to be implemented no later than August 15, 2026, that maintains the requirements for the alternative evaluation procedures and remedies the determined racial, ethnic, socio-economic, or geographic disparities. Effective immediately.

Appropriates $2 from the General Revenue Fund to Northeastern Illinois University for its FY26 ordinary and contingent expenses. Effective July 1, 2025.

Amends the Interscholastic Athletic Organization Act. Provides that any athletic team or sport that is under the jurisdiction of an association or entity that provides for interscholastic athletics or athletic competition among schools and students must be expressly designated as (i) a male athletic team or sport, (ii) a female athletic team or sport, or (iii) a coeducational athletic team or sport. Provides that an athletic team or sport designated as being female is available only to participants who are female, based on their biological sex. Requires a school district or nonpublic school to obtain a written statement signed by a student's parent or guardian or the student verifying the student's age, biological sex, and that the student has not taken performance enhancing drugs; provides for a penalty for false or misleading statements. Prohibits a governmental entity or an association or entity that provides for interscholastic athletics or athletic competition among schools and students from entertaining a complaint, opening an investigation, or taking any other adverse action against a school district or nonpublic school for maintaining athletic teams or sports in accordance with these provisions.

Appropriates $4,500,000 to the State Board of Education for grants to school districts to contract with organizations that directly provide students and school-based staff with mental telehealth services that are billed to Medicaid and commercial insurance plans. Effective July 1, 2025.